Great design and architecture are in abundance in Adelaide which I dicovered during a recent visit. The city is completely new to me – I knew the Jam Factory’s reputation for good design and that some fantastic architecture firms – Woods Bagot, Hassell and Woodhead (now GHD Woodhead) – had begun there, but I was otherwise unsure what to expect. The trip came about when, having commissioned me to write an essay for the catalogue of the Jam Factory’s Glass: Art Design Architecture exhibition, Director Brian Parkes invited me to the opening.
The exhibition, the catalogue and the opening did not disappoint. With studios offering an associate program in ceramics, glass, metal and furniture, and some great exhibitions, as well as a retail shop selling design objects, the Jam Factory is an important organisation for design both in Adelaide and nationally. In addition, Brian – an old friend from his Sydney days – has added his love of design, as well as extensive contacts in the field (recent appointments include Jon Goulder and Daniel Emma) and great curatorial skills to the mix.
Glass: Art Design Architecture (which is reviewed in The Lead), is the second exhibition curated by Brian exploring a singular material, following Wood, while the latest inside word is that the next will be Steel. The exhibition, co-curated by Margaret Hancock Davis, features some amazing work, including beautiful art pieces by Janet Lawrence, Tom Moore and Wendy Faircough, design objects by Andrew Simpson (Vert) and Elliat Rich, as well as architectural examples from Woods Bagot, Architectus and Max Pritchard.
I was there with two hats – as a writer for the exhibition catalogue which at 3000 words gave me a chance to get my teeth into some of the concepts and innovations behind glass in architecture, interior design and furniture/lighting design, but also as a Woods Bagot staff member proud to see a prototype from the SAHMRI building on exhibition, along with a video of the building by the excellent Coco & Max.
I had just been to see the SAHMRI building (South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute) during the day – what a truly magnificent building. After a couple of years writing about it and promoting it to the press, it was amazing to see it in the flesh – along with the Adelaide Convention Centre building right next door which opens in a few weeks.
During my trip to Adelaide I also came across some other beautiful examples of great design in the local cafes and pubs – like LaMoKa cafe, a little space with crisp branding, designer details and a yellow door on Peel Street – and Clever Little Tailor across the alley, both designed by Adam Johnson of Xtra Shiny. These venues in the city centre are providing some inner urban chic which, added to the city’s grit, creates a sense that this is developing into a design city.
Another highlight was the Art Gallery of South Australia whose permanent galleries were arranged according to themes – like love, sex, death (though they had better names than that) – with contemporary art, design, decorative objects peppered amongst the traditional oil paintings. Perhaps most striking is the first gallery which features an LCI Chaise Lounge by Marc Newson in the middle of a traditionally-decorated gallery of paintings, while in another room a work called “We are all flesh” by Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere looks like two giant horse carcasses hung in the centre of the room. The boldness in this curation adds to the value of all pieces present.
Finally, we were lucky enough to be in Adelaide for the opening parade of the Fringe Festival which was lots of fun and had plenty of design ingenuity in its floats and costumes, including some magnificent giant, illuminated dresses.
All in all, for a three day trip, we managed to see a lot of design and art in Adelaide – thanks again to the Jam Factory for precipitating the trip!